Home of the Week: At home with nature in Newstead

Kathleen M. Contrino and Ron Winkelman live in a home on 10 acres of land in Newstead. Contrino is an attorney and assistant professor who teaches criminal justice courses at Canisius College. Winkelman is a tire engineer at Sumitomo Rubber USA in the Town of Tonawanda.

Here’s what Contrino wrote in an email for our Home of the Week online feature:

“Five years ago, my husband and I decided to build our new home with a commitment to environmental sustainability. Our home is 3,000 square feet and features wood, stone and tile with vaulted ceilings in the great room. It is heated with radiant heat.

“The kitchen has wood beams and a bed-and-breakfast gas stove feature, which was installed above the Lazy Susan corner cabinet. We were able to use reclaimed material as much as possible which adds to the rustic interior. We have solar panels on our garage and a geothermal system which is designed to provide for all of our heating, cooling, electricity and hot water (outside of the coldest months). We worked closely with Barden Building Systems, Capital Heat and Solar by CIR to design a house that uses the energy it creates.

“The exterior includes 200-plus native plants, bushes and trees for wildlife communities. We have bat houses, bird feeding station and a pond as we have tried to make space for wildlife,” she wrote.

The couple also built the home with aging in place in mind, with wide hallways and a first-floor master bedroom and bath.

Do you love your house enough to show it off? This could be your chance.

The Buffalo News is looking for other beautiful local homes and the stories behind them and their décor. Those chosen will be displayed in a weekly feature at buffalonews.com and could be chosen as Home of the Month with a three-page spread in a Sunday edition of The Buffalo News.

If you are interested, tell us about your home in 150 words or less, and email 10 images (in .jpg form) of the interior and exterior to homeandstyle@buffnews.com.

Those chosen for BuffaloNews.com will be contacted by Home and Style Editor Susan Martin. A phone number is helpful. Single-family homes, condominiums, lofts and apartments are eligible.

The News will include your name and the city or town in which you reside but not your exact address.